CHUM Get the app

Rules by state · Florida (Atlantic)

Sailors choicein Florida (Atlantic)

Haemulon parra

Recreational rule, FWC 2026, checked Sep 20, 2026. The official rulebook is the final word.

Studio photograph of a Sailors Choice (Haemulon parra), side view, on a white background

The rule in Florida (Atlantic)

Florida (Atlantic)’s own rule for sailors choice in state waters, out to 3 nautical miles.

SizeNo size limit
Bag2 fish or 100 lb per day
SeasonOpen year-round

Unregulated grunt — the default limit applies.

FWC 2026· checked · likelyOpen

Beyond 3 miles: federal waters

A different rule past the 3-mile line, written by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Where the two differ, the water you are in decides.

SizeNo size limit
Bag10 per person per day within 20-fish snapper-grouper aggregate
SeasonOpen year-round

SAFMC / NOAA SERO 2026 · checked 2026-09-16

Often mistaken for, and their Florida (Atlantic) rules

Keep the wrong fish and the rule that applies is the other one’s.

FishSizeBagSeason
Sailors choiceThis page.No size limit2 fish or 100 lb per dayOpen year-round
White margateCleaner silver, deeper body.Tell them apartNo size limit10 per person per day within 20-fish snapper-grouper aggregateOpen year-round
TomtateSmaller with a single side stripe.Tell them apartNo size limitNo bag limit (excluded from the 20-fish aggregate)Open year-round

How to tell it

Silvery-gray grunt with dark scale rows forming broken oblique stripes; mouth lining red-orange like all grunts. More on the sailors choice page: every state’s rule, the records, and how anglers catch it.

Sailors choice in other states

In the app

Point the camera at a sailors choice in Florida (Atlantic) and this rule is on the screen before you take the picture. No signal needed.

Get the app

Sailors choice in Florida (Atlantic): the questions

What is the size limit for sailors choice in Florida (Atlantic)?

No size limit.

How many sailors choice can you keep in Florida (Atlantic)?

2 fish or 100 lb per day.

When is sailors choice season in Florida (Atlantic)?

Open year-round.

How current is this Florida (Atlantic) sailors choice rule?

Source: FWC 2026, last checked Sep 20, 2026. A watchman re-reads the agency's pages nightly. Rules change mid-season by proclamation; the official rulebook is the final word.